Synaptic vesicle plays a central role in neurotransmission. It is also perhaps the smallest organelle present in the cell, with a diameter of ~40nm, which makes it amendable to high-resolution single-particle and single-molecule studies. This talk will describe some of the surprising findings we made over the years about synaptic vesicles. Because single-molecule experiments depend critically on the availability of a suitable and bright probe, I will describe a new class of fluorescent nanomaterial we have developed to facilitate single-molecule studies, fluorescence assays, and super-resolution imaging.

Refreshments: Light refreshments will be served at 3:50 at The Coffee Lab